Zelenskyy Tells Congress "Your Money Not Charity"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the US Congress that aid to Ukraine was an investment in democracy and "not charity" while invoking American battles against the Nazis in World War II to press for more assistance for his country's war effort.

"Your money is not charity. It is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way," Zelenskyy told a joint session of the US Senate and House of Representatives, speaking in English.

The remarks came as Republicans, some of whom voiced increasing skepticism about sending so much aid to Ukraine, are set to take control of the US House of Representatives from Democrats on 3 January.

Zelenskyy stated that the world is too interconnected to allow any country to stand aside and feel safe, as he appealed for bipartisan support.

During his first foreign wartime visit on Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader met with U.S. President Joe Biden, who called for support to keep flowing in 2023.

Zelenskyy affirmed that the Patriot system was an important step in creating an air shield. "We would like to get more Patriots ... we are in war."

"This is the only way that we can deprive the terrorist state of its main instrument of terror - the possibility to hit our cities, our energy," he told a White House news conference.

In the same vein, Washington declared a further $1.85 billion in military aid for Ukraine, including a Patriot air defense system to help it ward off barrages of Russian missiles.